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Irish Journal of European Law
Introduction to Volume 17, Issue 1
The Irish Journal of European Law (IJEL) was first launched twenty-two years ago. The Irish Society
for European Law (ISEL) this year relaunches the journal under our joint editorship as an e-journal
after a four-year hiatus since the last print volume (2009).
The journal is Irish in two respects. First, its editorship and production, and the ISEL itself are based
in Ireland. Second, the journal concerns European legal matters with an Irish dimension. This focus
makes the journal unique. There are many English language European law journals which focus on
European legal matters relevant to all or diverse Member States, and several which focus on such
matters relevant to the United Kingdom. A focus on European law impacting on Ireland is of obvious
importance to this country.
The journal is also of broader European importance. The journal is European in two respects. First, its
subject-matter is European law. Second, the journal has a comparatively advantageous contribution
to European law by promulgating analysis of the particular foci of Hiberno-European integration. Each
Member State gives relief to different issues of European law of interest to all and Ireland has
certainly thrown up its fair share of issues. Some foci may be transient: current developments in the
common agricultural policy; some permanent: the Irish constitutional reception of European law.
Some foci may be substantively contentious: the conflict of European and Irish human rights values;
some may be institutionally challenging: the implementation mechanisms in Irish law, the procedural
constraints in criminal law. Some foci may touch on international relations and public international law,
such as the ratification, or not, of treaties; still others may touch on politics and finance, such as the
rescue, or not, of banks.
Ireland's legal system combines a written constitution with a natural law tradition and the common
law. Ireland is a small Member State, geographically situated on the periphery of the European Union,
with a small open economy, and yet it has made a significant contribution to the development of the
European Union. With its constitutional, natural law and common law traditions, the interaction of
national and European law has been unique, as indeed is the case for all Member States. The editors
welcome the opportunities this presents, and in addition to traditional legal analysis, welcome
comment and opinion pieces, and reasoned idea pieces.
Like many journals of standing, this journal has occasionally faltered only to answer more strongly the
perennial call of the niche it fills. The skill, contribution, and dedication of the previous editors, and
their personal distinction, carved for the journal its unique place. The previous editors combined their
professional and academic training to the benefit of the journal: James O'Reilly SC and former
Professor at University College Dublin, Anthony Collins SC, now judge at the General Court of the
European Union, and Dermot Cahill, solicitor, now of Bangor University. Judge Collins returns to the
journal in the guest editorial.
Between 1992 and 2001, James O'Reilly and Anthony Collins edited 10 volumes and 13 issues of the
IJEL in their capacity as joint editors. Professor Cathryn Costello, formerly of Trinity College Dublin
and now the University of Oxford, was case editor for the last three volumes.
The format consisted of an editorial on topics of relevance (including guest editorials from Brian
Walsh of the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights (Vol 2(2)) and John L Murray
of the Court of Justice of the EC and Chief Justice of Ireland (Vol 8(1) and (2)), followed by
articles/contributions and both reported and unreported judgments of the Superior Courts on points of
European/ECHR law, the IJEL being often the only record of some of the latter categories.
When available, the Irish national reports for the International Federation for European Law (FIDE)
were published in the IJEL, a tradition the present editors hope continues. Luminaries who wrote for
the journal during this time included Mary Robinson, Gerard Hogan, Deirdre Curtin, Paul Gallagher,
Leo Flynn, Miguel Poaires Maduro, Federico Mancini, Nial Fennelly, John D Cooke, Colm
MacEochaidh and John Hedigan.
[2014] 17 (1) IJEL
Volume 17 Issue 1](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/ijel17&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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